Redtail Rise paradox

sunlight filters into the den, a summery glow of dancing yellow and gold. tuesday's dawn, at the present moment, was transfixed by this; the shapes of the shadows and the way they carved out multidimensional figures. being as young as he was, a lot of this was still new to him as his brain got used to controlling this gray-pelted meat sack, and as such, the simplest of things entertained him.
such as a centipede, which now crawled along between blades of sharp grass and skittered effortlessly across the dirt and clay. the dawn boy felt as if it was taunting him!
he rolls out from his nest which was settled in the back corner of the den and begins to crawl toward the entrance, squinting as his eyes adjust to the brightness. he waits for a second, and then another, and then —
a shockingly loud slap could be heard as he squishes the creature down into the dirt, smushing as hard as he can with all the might in his two forepaws. when he peels back, there are slimy bug guts between his toes.
he cannot quite decide if it was worth it or not.
but, now thinking himself to be the greatest predator who ever lived, he whines and whuffs for his family to come see his accomplishment.

sunrise could hear those gentle noises, and couldn't help but move towards the den site where her younger siblings were born. flame stalker only knows of sister as being her sibling, though she knows of the fact that others existed before them, and surely more will exist after as mother and father continue to rear their children of the rise.

her ears perk up curious, the dark rim facing the young boy as sunrise forces herself to wiggle closer and closer on her belly, rather than tower over him completely. she's still rather awkward around the young, as she still can't quite grasp the concept of what they can and cannot do.

still, she is as gentle as she can be, as she croons softly a note of pride to the boy. she knows not of the accomplishment, but in her mind, he deserved the praise still. her nose pokes at the crushed bug between his toes, a small snort leaving her.

a sibling arrives. the boy shrinks away as he watches her come in, guarding the squished insect with a chubby forepaw. his first thought was that perhaps she had come to steal it!
but she does not, instead crooning a soft note of appreciation and settling down beside him. the dawn boy averts his gaze, tipping his head to the side as his tail swishes along the ground. then, he drops down to his belly and scoots closer to her, snuffling at the corner of her mouth in the hopes that she has brought him food. if she was not here to take, she must be here to give.

sunrise tries to think back to the many times she saw masque walking about and visiting with her and moon runner when they were so small. many memories feel like a blur and yet they remain in reach, just by her fingertips. and she can only think, only imagine, only dream. it all feels like a smoke screen.

there is no gift upon her jaws, though if he was ready for regurgitated meat, perhaps she might be able to hack something up. but sunrise did not move to do such a thing-- she should know better than to show up empty handed these days, and perhaps she might show another day with something to find, to bring.

she gathers herself to bring the brother closer to her, rumbling soft notes of affection as her tongues runs over his cheeks gently, and the spot between his ears. and if he'd let her, she might clean between his toes to spit out the bug he'd managed to wedge between them.

she blows through her nostrils playfully, her nose bumping his.

what was this? she was not giving him food, no matter how much he licked and licked and nudged and licked some more at her face; he was going to take the fur on the corners of her mouth clean off at this rate. there was nothing! his disappointment was immeasurable, and his day was ruined.
just as he moves to back away thinking that perhaps this was punishment of some kind, he is jostled and pulled closer, and then there is something slimy and warm against his cheek. ah; this was what father did. this... grooming thing.
he tolerates it for now, averting his gaze away and pressing his lips into a thin line to show that one wrong move will send baby teeth flying at her at the speed of light. she shifts from his cheek to between his ears, and then — aha! there it was! she was trying to steal his bug! or, at least what remained of it.
he rounds upon her with a sharp, irritatingly loud growl of dismay, tucking his sticky paws up close to his chest and shifting so that his back is now facing her. my bug guts! mine!